NASCAR Driver Statistics - Fontana

Not all teams announce their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 

#1- Jamie McMurray -   McMurray has a total of 17 starts at Auto Club Speedway accumulating two pole awards, three top-fives and five top-10 finishes. McMurray has completed a total of 3872 laps out of 4034 (96.0%) with an average starting position of 19.8 and an average finishing position of 17.8 at the two-mile Southern California track. McMurray has no DNF’s (did not finish) at Auto Club Speedway.

#2- Brad Keselowski - In 4 Cup starts at Auto Club Speedway, Keselowski has a career best finish of 18th scored in March of 2012. His average finish is 22.750.

#5- Kasey Kahne -  In 16 Cup starts at Fontana, Kahne has recorded one win, four top-five finishes and nine top-10s. He lined up from the pole position in 2004 for his first Cup start at the two-mile track and has gone on to earn nine more top-10 starting spots.  Kahne enters Sunday’s race with an average start of 10.2 and an average finish of 14.9 at the two-mile track.

#7- Dave Blaney - Blaney has 18 starts at Auto Club Speedway, scoring 1 top 10, a 9th place finish in April 2002. His average start at the 2 mile track is 26.00, average finish is 31.222, and he has led 32 laps.

#10-Danica Patrick - The Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., will mark Danica Patrick’s 15th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and her first at Fontana.

#14-Tony Stewart - Steeart will make his 22nd start this week in Fontana. He has 2 wins, 6 top 5's and 12 top 10's, with a most recent win in march of last year. His average start position is 14.810, average finish is 13.476 and he ha sled 314 laps at the 2 mile oval.

#15- Clint Bowyer - Bowyer will make his 13th NSCS start at Auto Club Speedway on March 24. In 12 previous starts, Bowyer has two top-five (2nd in 2010-2, 3rd in 2006-2) and seven top-10 finishes. He has started third three times (2006-2, 2008-1, 2010-1). Bowyer has an average starting position of 14th and finish of 11th. He has led 45 laps, including at least one lap in three of his last four starts at Auto Club Speedway.

#16- Greg Biffle - Biffle has 18 Sprint Cup Series starts at Fontana, earning one win, four top-five and six top-10 finishes.  He has an average starting position of 14.0 and finishing position of 17.2 at the track.

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr -  Stenhouse will make his first Sprint Cup career start at Auto Club Speedway this weekend. Stenhouse has four Nationwide career starts, earning two top-five and two top-10 finishes.

#18- Kyle Busch - Busch has one win, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10s, and he’s led a total of 474 laps in his 15 career Sprint Cup starts at Fontana. His average Fontana finish is 11.3. 

#22- Joey Logano - Logano has 6 starts at Fontana and has scored 1 top 5, a 5th place finish in February of 2010. He has yet to lead a lap at the track and has an average start of 13.333 and an average finish of 17.500.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Along with three wins (1997, 1999 and 2004), Gordon has two poles (1998 and 2007), 10 top-fives and 11 top-10′s in 23 starts at the two-mile track. Last year here, Gordon started 21st and maneuvered inside the top five without the aid of a caution flag. But a pit-road penalty under green-flag conditions led to a 26th-place finish in the rain-shortened event.

#27- Paul Menard -  Menard has 10 starts at Auto Club Speedway. His best start of 15th and best finish of 16th both came in 2011. The Wisconsin native has completed 2,241 of 2,279 laps attempted (98.3 percent) at the two-mile oval, leading three of them.

#29- Kevin Harvick - Harvick will make his 20th-career Sprint Cup Series start at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday afternoon in front of a hometown crowd. The California native went to Victory Lane in 2011 and has earned four top-five and nine top-10 finishes. Throughout the years, Harvick has completed 98.4 percent (4,463 of 4,534) of the laps contested, with 60 laps led.

#31- Jeff Burton - Burton has 23 starts at Auto Club Speedway with one pole award (1999), six top-five finishes, seven top-10 finishes and led 127 laps.

#39- Ryan Newman - In 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Fontana, Newman boasts one pole, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Additionally, the 35-year-old driver has led 19 laps of competition, has an average starting position of 13.9, an average finish of 17.6 and has completed 91.1 percent of the laps he’s contested (3,904 of 4,284). Newman’s best finish at Fontana is third in May 2004.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya - In 10 starts at Auto Club Speedway, Montoya has one pole award, one top-five and two top-10 finishes. His average starting and finishing positions are 14.5 and 19.1, respectively. The Target driver has led 118 laps and has completed 2163 laps out of a possible 2279 (94.9%)

#43- Aric Almirola - Almirola will make his ninth NASCAR series start at the Auto Club Speedway this weekend in the No. 43 Farmland Ford. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver looks to surpass his best California finish of sixth, which he posted in 2010 in the Nationwide Series, in Sunday’s Auto Club 400.

#48- Jimmie Johnson -  Quick Stats: Five wins (March 2010, October 2009, August 2008, September 2007, March 2002) and one pole (August 2008) in 18 starts. 12 top-five finishes (66.7 percent) and 14 top-10s (77.8 percent) in 18 starts. The last time Johnson finished outside the top-10 was an 11th- place finish in September 2006. Average start is 9.1 and average finish is 5.4.

#55- Mark Martin -  In 21 Sprint Cup starts at Auto Club Speedway, Martin owns one victory (1998) and six top-five finishes. He’s led 324 laps. 

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr -  In 20 Sprint Cup starts at Auto Club Speedway, Earnhardt has scored four top-five finishes and five top-10s. He recorded a career-best runner-up finish at the Fontana, Calif., racetrack in September 2006. Last year, he notched a third-place result, his best in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

#99- Carl Edwards - In 15 starts at the two-mile California track, Edwards has one win, one pole, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. His average start is 18.5, and his average finish is 8.7 which is the second best among active drivers.  Edwards has completed 3518 of 3534 (99.5%) of laps attempted at Auto Club Speedway. 

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

NASCAR Driver Press Conference Schedule - Auto Club Speedway

Press Conference Schedule, Auto Club Speedway

NASCAR schedules driver press conferences at every race weekend event. These normally include the Top 12 drivers in championship points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with other drivers of note. The press conferences will last approximately 15 minutes each and may be viewed at NASCAR.com. Times listed are local time.

Friday, March 22:

10 a.m. – Kyle Larson (No. 32 Eveready Chevrolet in the NASCAR Nationwide Series) – Media Center/Deadline Room

10:15 a.m. – Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota), 4^th in points (128) - Media Center/Deadline Room

10:15 a.m. – Danica Patrick (No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet) - #10 hauler

10:30 a.m. – Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet), 3^rd in points (151) – Media Center/Deadline Room

10:45 a.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet), 2^nd in points (157) – Media Center/Deadline Room

11 a.m. – Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Ford), 1^st in points (166) – Media Center/Deadline Room

1:30 p.m. – Tony Stewart (No. 14Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet) - #14 hauler

2 p.m. – Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet), 7^th in points (124) – #5 hauler

2:30 p.m. – Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet) - #24 hauler

- NASCAR 

Goodyear Tire Fast Facts - Fontana

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials:

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 6 sets for practice/qualifying, and 11 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 7 sets for the event

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,175, Right-side -- 1,175;
Nationwide: Left-side 475, Right-side -- 475

Tire Codes: Left-side -- D-4522; Right-side -- D-4408

Tire Circumference: Left-side -- 87.5 in. (2,224 mm); Right-side -- 88.4 in. (2,245 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
Right Front -- 45 psi; Right Rear -- 42 psi

Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same tire codes at Fontana this weekend. This is the same combination of left and right side tires that these teams ran at this track last season. This right side tire code (D-4408) has been run at Fontana since 2011, while this left-side tire code (D-4522) was introduced at this track in 2012.  As on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Fontana.  Air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

- Goodyear Racing News

Auto Club Speedway History and Notes

At Auto Club Speedway:

History
Groundbreaking for California Speedway, as Auto Club Speedway was originally known, took place in November 1995.

The first race at Auto Club Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West race won by Ken Schrader on June 21, 1997.

The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race was held on June 22, 1997 and won by Jeff Gordon.

September 2004 was the first night race at Auto Club Speedway and that also was the first year both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series ran two races in a season there.

The track name was changed to Auto Club Speedway (ACS) in February 2008.

Notebook
There have been 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Auto Club Speedway, the track hosted one NSCS race a season from 1997-2003, then two races per season from 2004-2010. In 2011 Auto Club Speedway returned to a single race season.

125 drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Auto Club; 105 in more than one.

Three drivers have participated in all 23 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte.

Joe Nemechek won the inaugural pole with a speed of 183.015 mph (39.341 secs.)

15 drivers have poles at ACS, led by Kurt Busch with three.

Kurt Busch (2006) and Jamie McMurray (2010) are the only two drivers to win consecutive poles at Auto Club Speedway.

Youngest ACS pole winner: Kyle Busch (2/27/2005 – 19 years, 9 months, 25 days).

Oldest ACS pole winner: Mike Skinner (4/30/2000 – 42 years, 10 months, 2 days).

14 different drivers have won at ACS, led by Jimmie Johnson (five). Three other drivers have multiple wins at Auto Club Speedway: Jeff Gordon and 2012 Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth each have three wins, Tony Stewart has two.

Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Auto Club Speedway with nine, followed by Roush Fenway Racing with seven.

California-native Jimmie Johnson became the first and only driver to win from the pole at Auto Club Speedway in 2008.

Only two ACS races have been won from the front row both by five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, fall of 2008 (pole); and the fall of 2007 (second-place).

12 of the 23 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Auto Club Speedway have been won from a top-10 starting position.

Seven of the 23 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.

The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 31st, by Matt Kenseth in the spring of 2006.

Youngest ACS winner: Kyle Busch (09/04/2005 – 20 years, 4 months, 2 days).

Oldest ACS winner: Rusty Wallace (04/29/2001 – 44 years, 8 months, 15 days).

Jimmie Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Auto Club Speedway with five; followed by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon with four.

Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-five finishes at Auto club Speedway with 12; followed by Jeff Gordon (10) and Matt Kenseth (eight).

Jimmie Johnson leads the series in top-10 finishes with 14; followed by Matt Kenseth (13), Carl Edwards (12) and Tony Stewart (12).

Jimmie Johnson leads the series in average finish at ACS with a 5.389;

Jimmie Johnson (5.3) and Carl Edwards (8.7) are the only two active drivers with an average finish in the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway.

There have been two green-white-checkered finishes at Auto Club Speedway: 2005 (250/254) and 2006 (250/251).

Kyle Busch won his first pole (2/27/05) and first series win (9/4/05) at Auto Club Speedway. Jimmie Johnson also posted his first series career win at ACS in (4/28/02).

Greg Biffle (4/28/02) and J.J. Yeley (9/5/04) made their first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career starts at Auto Club Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson is the only driver to win consecutive races at Auto Club Speedway (fall of 2009 – spring of 2010).

12 of the 14 NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who have won at Auto Club Speedway participated in at least two or more races before visiting Victory Lane. Jeff Gordon (1997 – inaugural event) and Jimmie Johnson (2002) are the only drivers to win at ACS in their first appearance.

Tony Stewart competed at Auto Club Speedway 18 times before winning in the fall of 2010; the longest span of any the 14 winners. Only Stewart (18) and Kevin Harvick (17) have made 10 or more attempts before their first win at Auto Club Speedway.

Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte lead the series with the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway without visiting Victory Lane at 23.

Since the advent of electronic scoring, the closest margin of victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Auto Club Speedway was the March 27, 2011 race won by Kevin Harvick with an MOV of 0.144 second.

Three reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions have gone on to win at Auto Club Speedway the following season: Jeff Gordon (1999), Jimmie Johnson, who is the only one to do it multiple times, (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) and Tony Stewart (2012).

Two drivers have won at Auto Club Speedway and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the same season: Jeff Gordon (1997) and Jimmie Johnson (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010).

This weekend will be Danica Patrick’s first attempt at Auto Club Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Shawna Robinson is the only female driver to have made a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Auto Club Speedway to date. She did so on April 28, 2002 starting 43rd and finishing 42nd.

Only three car numbers have produced three or more Auto Club Speedway NSCS wins:

Car Number – Drivers – (Years)

No. 48 – Jimmie Johnson (2002, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010)

No. 17 – Matt Kenseth (2006, 2007 and 2009)

No. 24 – Jeff Gordon (1997, 1999 and 2004)


Auto Club Speedway DataSeason Race #: 5 of 36 (03-24-13)Track Size: 2-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 14 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 14 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 11 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 3 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 3,100 feet
Backstretch Length: 2,500 feet
Race Length: 200 laps / 400 miles

Top 12 Driver Rating at Auto Club
Jimmie Johnson........................ 122.4
Kyle Busch............................... 106.4
Matt Kenseth............................. 105.2
Tony Stewart............................. 102.4
Mark Martin................................. 99.7
Carl Edwards.............................. 98.5
Jeff Gordon................................ 97.7
Greg Biffle.................................. 95.9
Kevin Harvick.............................. 94.5
Kasey Kahne.............................. 92.6
Clint Bowyer............................... 91.7
Denny Hamlin............................. 89.8

Note: Driver Ratings compiled from 2005-2012 races (14 total) among active drivers at Auto Club Speedway

- NASCAR Statistics

Timmy Hill Set for 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Start at Auto Club Speedway in California

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Timmy Hill will make his first 2013 series start on Sunday, March 24th, in the “Auto Club 400” at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. He will pilot the FAS Lane Racing No. 32 OXYwater Ford Fusion.
“I’ve had quick success with FAS Lane Racing in the three 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts,” said Hill. “We all gelled right away last year and we are all optimistic on what the 2013 season will bring.”

Hill will be racing 18 to 20 races of the 36-race schedule in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, splitting seat time with veteran NASCAR drivers Ken Schrader and Terry Labonte. Hill is a Rookie of the Year contender.

“We have our eye on that Rookie of the Year award, but the main thing is for me to continue to grow as a driver and we as a team continue to improve each week. If last year’s starts I had with FAS Lane Racing and this year’s team performance is any indication, we should have a very successful season.”

The FAS Lane Racing No. 32 team is currently 34th in owner points after finishing a strong 25th in the “Food City 500” at Bristol Motor Speedway (TN) on Sunday, March 17th with Labonte behind the wheel.

- Timmy Hill Release

NASCAR This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Nationwide Series in California on ESPN

The NASCAR Nationwide Series races at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., this weekend for a 300-mile race and ESPN will have a live telecast on Saturday, March 23. NASCAR Countdown begins at 4:30 p.m. ET with the green flag at 5:17 p.m. The race telecast is presented by Kawasaki. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox via WatchESPN, accessible to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Ricky Craven Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Now Schedule
ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Auto Club Speedway in the one-hour edition airing Sunday, March 24, at 9 a.m. ET. Studio host Shannon Spake will be joined from the track by ESPN NASCAR analyst Rusty Wallace and reporters Mike Massaro and Jim Noble. The week’s schedule:

Date             Time        Show            Host                                  Network
Tue., March 19 2 a.m.      NASCAR Now   Mike Massaro              ESPN2

Wed., March 20 2 a.m.     NASCAR Now   Shannon Spake           ESPN2

Thu., March 21 2:30 a.m. NASCAR Now   Shannon Spake          ESPN2

Fri., March 22 Midnight    NASCAR Now   Shannon Spake          ESPN2

Sun., March 24 9 a.m.       NASCAR Now   Shannon Spake         ESPN2

- ESPN Media Zone Release

Denny Hamlin Drops Appeal Against NASCAR

Thursday afternoon brought a quick resolution to the standoff between NASCAR and driver Denny Hamlin over the $25,000 penalty assessed to Hamlin for making what NASCAR considered "disparaging remarks" about the on-track competition following the Sprint Cup race two weeks ago at Phoenix. 

Hamlin on Thursday dropped plans to appeal the penalty but still vowed not to pay the fine. NASCAR will instead, per its rule book, take the money from Hamlin's race winnings or points fund earnings. 

Statement from Hamlin: 
"After a lot of thought I have decided not to appeal the fine NASCAR has issued. Dragging myself, my team and NASCAR through the mud for the next 2 weeks would not be good for anyone. I firmly believe I am in the right on this issue and will stand behind my decision not to pay. I understand NASCAR will do what they feel is necessary based on my decision. Thanks to all of my fans and peers who have supported me in this decision. I look forward to putting it to rest." 

NASCAR statement: 
"NASCAR announced today that the $25,000 fine assessed to driver Denny Hamlin on March 7 will be settled per Section 12-3 of the 2013 NASCAR rule book after being informed by Hamlin that he will not appeal the penalty. Hamlin was fined after the sanctioning body determined he had violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing). NASCAR considers this matter closed."

- via Jim Utter